“My people will start finding their Fated Mates?”
“Yes, and may I say, much to the delight of the Fates,” Oracle smiled.
“That’s good, but something’s still bothering me,” Reif said, frowning. “How did the witches find out about us in the first place? The gods assured us we’d be safe.”
“It seems that the god who created the sea dragons…” Oracle began.
“He did it?” interrupted Reif. “But the gods told us he wouldn’t bother us again!”
“And he did not. But he was rather angry about being forbidden to use the sea dragons anymore so he began to complain about how unfairly he had been treated and, unfortunately, Eris heard him one day and…”
“Eris? Goddess of chaos?” asked Reif.
“Yes. Apparently she was bored and, when Valerian tried to steal from her, she decided to create some chaos on earth using the sea dragons. She set herself up as the new head of Valerian’s coven, giving the vampires orders to find two witches who knew the art of black magic. Once that had been accomplished, she prevailed on Notos to create a wild storm to darken the sky over Angelopoulos, so the arrival of the vampires and witches would be more menacing when they appeared in the town square.”
“Mom,” interrupted Slate, “Notos is the goddess of summer rain storms, isn’t she?”
“Yes, she is.”
“Eris was having fun for a thousand years at the expense of my people’s happiness?” Reif exclaimed, infuriated at the price he and his father had paid for her capricious act.
“Not quite. It seems she ‘forgot’ about the sea dragons and only remembered them when the Fates began asking questions,” explained Oracle. “According to the Fates, it was then she ‘remembered’ and told the vampires she was ending the arrangement with the sea dragons and was leaving the coven.”
“Was this before or after the vampires took me for my eggs?” asked Reif.
“Before. You can imagine how angry Valerian was when he realized his opulent lifestyle might come to an end, sohe decided to acquire his own gang of thieves by taking your eggs.”
“But how did they find out about my sea dragon’s pregnancy?” asked Reif.
“The Fates let it slip when trying to find out who was responsible for forcing your people to steal again. Then Eris mentioned it to Valerian and the vampire seized upon it.”
By now, Reif had calmed down and was once again sitting next to Brian. In a subdued voice, he asked Oracle, “Will Eris or the demon be punished for what they did to me and my people?”
“While I cannot tell you exactly what was decided, suffice to say, yes, they will,” replied Oracle.
“What about the witches?” asked Logan.
“Mystia is tracking them down and they will be dealt with accordingly,” Oracle answered. “I understand the vampires have been killed, is that correct?”
“Yes, they won’t be bothering the sea dragons anymore,” replied Logan.
Then Reif remembered, “Their representative is still out there. Will he try to take our babies?”
“No. While I cannot tell you about him, you have the word of the Fates he will never harm another sea dragon,” replied Oracle.
“Well, that’s guid to know,” Brian said, smiling at his mate.
“It is,” muttered Reif, “but I’m still angry about a god thinking it’s all right to do that to my people, not to mention that the vampires nearly killed our babies.”
“I agree with you, Reif,” said Oracle, “and that is why I’ve decided to right a wrong, or at least part of it.” Picking up an envelope next to her teacup, Oracle handed it to the sea dragon. “Go ahead, open it.”
Glancing at Nessie who nodded at him, Reif removed his hand from his mate’s and tore open the flap. Looking inside, he found a bunch of documents, one of which was a photograph of a large, stone house, overlooking a body of water, which he passed to Brian.
“Do you like it?” Oracle asked.
“Of course. It’s stunning,” Reif murmured.
“Brian, do you feel the same way?”
